Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)

Di-Ammonium Phosphate (DAP)

Part of: Prelims and GS-III – Economy 

Context An acute shortage of di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) in Haryana has seen desperate farmers pelting stones at the police, blocking roads in protest.

Why is DAP important for farmers?

• Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is the world’s most widely used phosphorus fertilizer.
• DAP fertilizer is an excellent source of Phosphorus and nitrogen (N) for plant nutrition. 
• It’s highly soluble and thus dissolves quickly in soil to release plant-available phosphate and ammonium. 
• A notable property of DAP is the alkaline pH that develops around the dissolving granule.
• Being a basic nutrient for Rabi crops, the DAP fertiliser has to be sprinkled at the time of sowing crops like mustard and wheat. 
• Any delay in its supply could adversely impact the sowing of crops. 

Non-agricultural uses

• DAP also acts as a fire retardant. For example, a mixture of DAP and other ingredients can be spread in advance of a fire to prevent a forest from burning. It then becomes a nutrient source after the danger of fire has passed.
• DAP is used in various industrial processes, too, such as metal finishing. 
• It’s commonly added to wine to sustain yeast fermentation and to milk to produce cheese cultures.